Australia is home to several beautiful regional cities that are
big draws for tourists apart from the major metropolises. Cairns
is one such city that has also been carving a niche for itself on the global tourist
map with its natural beauty and multiple attractions. Cairns was
founded in the year 1876 and mainly consists of several townships in the northern
outskirts of Queensland. The city derives its name from William
Wellington Cairns who was the former governor of Queensland. The city was originally
built to offer miners a retreat while going towards the Hodgkinson River
goldfield. However, the city later transformed into a major port and railhead
for the export of items like metals, gold, sugar cane, agricultural products and
minerals from several adjoining coastal belts and the Atherton Tableland
area.

The city lies around 1700 kilometres away from Brisbane and is a
charming and quaint destination with a lovely tropical climate. The city is also
a gateway for all tourists who wish to embark on journeys across Far North Queensland
and also check out the Greater Barrier Reef. The city is majorly
provincial in layout and location and stretches till Edmonton and
Ellis Beach at two ends. The city is home to several urban townships
that have been constructed on land that was earlier used for the production of sugarcane.
The Northern Beaches is one coastal hub of Cairns and consists of
several beach based communities that extend along the lovely coastline. Every beachside
area or township is located off the Captain Cook Highway. Some of
the major beaches here include Trinity Beach, Machans Beach, Trinity Park,
Holloways Beach, Palm Cove, Yorkeys Knob, Kewarra Beach and
the Ellis Beach among others. The Smithfield suburb lies in
close proximity to the Great Diving Range and is a hub for the entire
beach community. There is a highly popular shopping arcade located here which is
known as the Smithfield Shopping Centre.

There are several important suburbs in Cairns including
Kamerunga, Caravonica, Stratford and Freshwater among others.
The Freshwater Valley area and Brinsmead are other
important areas along with Crystal Cascades and Copperlode
Dam. The city centre lies next to Parramatta Park, Cairns North, Portsmith,
Bungalow, Manunda, Edge Hill, Manoora, Westcourt, Whitfield, Earlville
and Bayview Heights. Southside Cairns lies between Trinity Inlet
and the Lamb Range which includes Bentley Park, White Rock,
Edmonton and Mount Sheridan. The lovely climate in Cairns
has always attracted several tourists from all over the world and Australia in large
numbers every year along with its natural beauty and innumerable attractions.

Cairns has multiple sites that are listed as heritage venues including the
Dr EA Koch Memorial, Cairns Customs House, Barrier Reef Hotel, Cairns City Council
Chamber, Cairns Court House Complex, WWII RAN Fuel Installation, School of Arts,
Cairns, Flecker Botanical Gardens, St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral, Central Court,
World War II Volunteer Defence Corps, Cairns Control Room, Bolands Centre, St Monica's
Old Cathedral, Masonic Temple, Cairns War Memorial, Cairns Wharf Complex
and the Jack and Newell Building among countless
others. It goes without saying that many of these heritage buildings showcase magnificent
and wide ranging architectural styles and are huge draws for tourists as well.

Cairns is a major regional base for several governmental organizations
and departments. There are several government offices located in the city and it
is also recognized as an important commercial centre for the Cape York Peninsula
and Far North Queensland areas. Tourism contributes hugely to the economy of the
city as this is the fourth most popular tourist spot after Melbourne, Sydney
and Brisbane. The city attracts innumerable tourists from across
the globe including Chinese cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai. The city lies near
the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Great Barrier Reef and the
Atherton Tableland. The Cairns esplanade is home to several swimming lagoons
with barbeque areas. This area is where tourists can go topless while sunbathing
and is a cultural and recreational hotspot of sorts. There are multiple shopping
centres in the city including the Cairns Central shopping centre
which is located in the heart of the central business district. Stockland
Cairns is another major shopping centre which is located at Earlville.

There are several other shopping complexes which are located at Clifton
Beach, Mount Sheridan, Smithfield and Redlynch. The government
has also opened the popular William McCormack Place in Cairns,
a building that cost A$80 million to construct. This is the first ever green rate,
6 star office building in the entire city. Cairns has a thriving
media sector which consists of The Cairns Post and The Cairns Sun. The Courier-Mail
and Australian newspapers are also circulated in the city. There are several commercial
television stations which are affiliated to all major Australian broadcasting networks.
There are several radio stations which broadcast some path breaking programmes in
Cairns as well. Sugarcane farming is still a major economic activity in the city
while the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station offers immense green energy for
the needs of the city's residents.

The Cairns International Airport lies around 7 kilometres away from
Cairns City and is located between the Northern Beaches and the Central Business
District. This is one of the busiest airports in all of Australia and handles innumerable
global and domestic passengers on a regular basis. The domestic terminal has been
revamped extensively by the government and there is a general aviation area and
international terminal. There are several flights to all major cities in Australia
and other tourist hotspots in Northern Queensland. The Royal Flying Doctor Service
also uses the Cairns Airport as a base.

The sea port also bustles with everyday freight services and commerce. There are
several catamarans which can carry up to 300 people or more together along with
smaller vessels operating here. Several cruise ships dock here and there is a Royal
Australian navy base present here as well. Cairns is a beautiful
city and is steadily gaining importance as one of Australia's most
charming, quaint and historically significant tourist destinations. There is a lot
to see and do in this lovely city.